'''Nob Hill-Russian Hill''' is an area in the northeastern part of [[San Francisco]], made up of the two adjoining neighborhoods. Nob Hill is an affluent neighborhood dating back to the gold rush, today renowned for its lavish hotels, charming shops and restaurants, views of the city, and the cable car lines which pass through the neighborhood. Just to the north is Russian Hill, a quieter residential area most well known for its pleasant walks and the crooked section of Lombard Street. The district is bounded roughly by Van Ness Avenue to the west, Bay Street to the north, Sutter Street to the south, and Powell Street and Columbus Avenue to the east.

'''Nob Hill-Russian Hill''' is an area in the northeastern part of [[San Francisco]], made up of the two adjoining neighborhoods. Nob Hill is an affluent neighborhood dating back to the gold rush, today renowned for its lavish hotels, charming shops and restaurants, views of the city, and the cable car lines which pass through the neighborhood. Just to the north is Russian Hill, a quieter residential area most well known for its pleasant walks and the crooked section of Lombard Street. The district is bounded roughly by Van Ness Avenue to the west, Bay Street to the north, Sutter Street to the south, and Powell Street and Columbus Avenue to the east.

==Understand==

==Understand==

===Nob Hill===

===Nob Hill===

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'''Nob Hill''' is one of the city's most affluent neighborhoods. The advent of the Cable-Car made this hill-top accessible, and the city's early railroad and Gold Rush millionaires rushed to settle here, far away from the unruliness of the Waterfront and Barbary Coast. In fact the hill derived its name from a slang term used to describe men of wealth and prominence -'Nabobs'. Today, it is most renowned for it's famous hotels and for city landmarks such as the impressive Grace Cathedral. At its peak is Huntington Park, with the Roman "Fountain of Tortoises" located at its center. The area was almost completely destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, but ensuring its survival were a host of luxury hotels that were built over their charred ruins. Given its lofty elevation, the hill has great select views over the city and bay.

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'''Nob Hill''' is one of the city's most affluent neighborhoods. The advent of the Cable Car made this hilltop accessible, and the city's early railroad and Gold Rush millionaires rushed to settle here, far away from the unruliness of the Waterfront and Barbary Coast. In fact the hill derived its name from a slang term used to describe men of wealth and prominence -'Nabobs'. Today, it is most renowned for its famous hotels and for city landmarks such as the impressive Grace Cathedral. At its peak is Huntington Park, with the Roman "Fountain of Tortoises" located at its center. The area was almost completely destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, but ensuring its survival were a host of luxury hotels that were built over their charred ruins. Given its lofty elevation, the hill has great select views over the city and bay.

===Russian Hill===

===Russian Hill===

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'''Russian Hill''' is a hilly residential neighborhood located west of [[San Francisco/North Beach|North Beach]] (and Telegraph Hill) and north of Nob Hill. These three hills have largely given San Francisco its "hilly" charm. The boundaries of Russian Hill are generally considered to be Van Ness Avenue on the west, Pacific Avenue on the south, Columbus Avenue on the east (northeast), and San Francisco Bay on the north. In spite of the hilly terrain, the streets of Russian Hill are laid out mainly in a grid pattern, resulting in some of the steepest grades in the city, e.g., Filbert between Jones and Leavenworth. Because of the steepness of the hill, several streets, e.g., portions of Vallejo, Green, Greenwich and Larkin are blocked to motor vehicles and replaced by staircases. There are also beautifully landscaped pedestrian-only lanes such as Macondray Lane and Fallon Place. The most touristy block in Russian Hill is the winding Lombard Street, between Hyde and Leavenworth, with eight switchbacks, beautiful landscaping, and an arresting view of Telegraph Hill, Alcatraz Island and the East Bay. The hill's name goes back to the Gold Rush-era when settlers discovered a small cemetery at the top of the hill which contained Russian colonists who had created a settlement here during the 18th century. The cemetery was removed, but the hill's name remains to this day. There is no significant Russian presence here as the city's Russian community is located primarily in the [[San Francisco/Richmond|Richmond]] District.

'''Russian Hill''' is a hilly residential neighborhood located west of [[San Francisco/Chinatown-North Beach|North Beach]] (and Telegraph Hill) and north of Nob Hill. These three hills have largely given San Francisco its "hilly" charm. The boundaries of Russian Hill are generally considered to be Van Ness Avenue on the west, Pacific Avenue on the south, Columbus Avenue on the east (northeast), and Bay Street on the north. In spite of the hilly terrain, the streets of Russian Hill are laid out mainly in a grid pattern, resulting in some of the steepest grades in the city, e.g., Filbert between Jones and Leavenworth. Because of the steepness of the hill, several streets, e.g., portions of Vallejo, Green, Greenwich and Larkin are blocked to motor vehicles and replaced by staircases. There are also beautifully landscaped pedestrian-only lanes such as Macondray Lane and Fallon Place. The most touristy block in Russian Hill is the winding Lombard Street, between Hyde and Leavenworth, with eight switchbacks, beautiful landscaping, and an arresting view of Telegraph Hill, Alcatraz Island and the East Bay. The hill's name goes back to the Gold Rush-era when settlers discovered a small cemetery at the top of the hill which contained Russian colonists who had created a settlement here during the 18th century. The cemetery was removed, but the hill's name remains to this day. There is no significant Russian presence here as the city's Russian community is located primarily in the [[San Francisco/The Avenues|Richmond]] District.

Driving into this district is not recommended due to the steep hills, narrow and dead-end streets, lack of parking, and sometimes confusing traffic diversions. Avoid any street that is also a cable car line (Hyde between Washington and Fisherman's Wharf, Mason between Columbus and Washington, and Jackson/Washington between Powell and Hyde), as the cable cars stop at every intersection, and they usually stop ''in'' the intersection.

Driving into this district is not recommended due to the steep hills, narrow and dead-end streets, lack of parking, and sometimes confusing traffic diversions. Avoid any street that is also a cable car line (Hyde between Washington and Fisherman's Wharf, Mason between Columbus and Washington, and Jackson/Washington between Powell and Hyde), as the cable cars stop at every intersection, and they usually stop ''in'' the intersection.

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Line 17:

===By cable car===

===By cable car===

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All three '''Cable Car''' lines cross at Powell and California. The Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason cable car lines run between [[San Francisco/Union Square|Union Square]] and [[San Francisco/Fisherman's Wharf|Fisherman's Wharf]]. The Powell-Hyde line runs on Powell Street, Jackson/Washington Streets, and Hyde Street, running up and down Nob and Russian Hills and stopping at the top of the crooked section of Lombard Street. The Powell-Mason line runs on Powell and Mason Streets on the east edge of the district. The California cable car line runs east-west on California Street between Market Street in the [[San Francisco/Financial District|Financial District]] and Van Ness Avenue.

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[[Image:Cable Car Power House.jpg|print=inline|thumb|300px|The power house for the cable cars; Cable Car Museum]]

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All three '''Cable Car''' lines cross at Powell and California. The Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason cable car lines run between [[San Francisco/Union Square-Financial District|Union Square]] and [[San Francisco/Fisherman's Wharf|Fisherman's Wharf]]. The Powell-Hyde line runs on Powell Street, Jackson/Washington Streets, and Hyde Street, running up and down Nob and Russian Hills and stopping at the top of the crooked section of Lombard Street. The Powell-Mason line runs on Powell and Mason Streets on the east edge of the district. The California cable car line runs east-west on California Street between Market Street in the [[San Francisco/Union Square-Financial District|Financial District]] and Van Ness Avenue.

===By bus===

===By bus===

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'''MUNI''' [http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mhome/home50.htm] bus routes #1-California, #12-Folsom/Pacific, #19-Polk, #20-Columbus, #27-Bryant, #30-Stockton, #45-Union/Stockton, #47-Van Ness and #49-Van Ness/Mission pass through the district. The #1, #12 and #45 run east-west through the district, the #19, #47 and #49 runs along the western edge of the district, the #20 and #30 run on Columbus through the northeastern corner of the district, while #27 crosses across the southwestern part of the district.

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'''MUNI''' [http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mhome/home50.htm] bus routes #1-California, #10-Townsend, #12-Folsom/Pacific, #19-Polk, #27-Bryant, #30-Stockton, #45-Union/Stockton, #47-Van Ness and #49-Van Ness/Mission pass through the district. The #1, #10, #12 and #45 run east-west through the district, the #19, #47 and #49 runs along the western edge of the district, the #30 runs on Columbus through the northeastern corner of the district, while #27 crosses across the southwestern part of the district.

==Get around==

==Get around==

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This district is small enough for walking, but being very hilly, it can be somewhat strenuous.

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This district is small enough for walking, but being very hilly, it can be somewhat strenuous.

* <see name="Cable Car Museum" alt="" address="1201 Mason Street" directions="at Washington" phone="+1 415 474-1887" email="" fax="" url="http://www.cablecarmuseum.org" hours="Daily April-September: 10AM-6PM. Daily October-March: 10AM-5PM" price="Admission is free">Here you can see the mechanisms that drive San Francisco's famed cable cars, as well as plenty of cable car memorabilia and information on the history of the cable cars. </see>

* <see name="Cable Car Museum" alt="" address="1201 Mason Street" directions="at Washington" phone="+1 415 474-1887" email="" fax="" url="http://www.cablecarmuseum.org" hours="Daily April-September: 10AM-6PM. Daily October-March: 10AM-5PM" price="Admission is free">Here you can see the mechanisms that drive San Francisco's famed cable cars, as well as plenty of cable car memorabilia and information on the history of the cable cars. </see>

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* <see name="Lombard Street" alt="" address="between Hyde and Leavenworth" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">Do see the "crookedest street in the world", a one-block portion of Lombard Street that contains eight hairpin turns, created to reduce the hill's natural steep slope. The best time to see and photograph the winding street (from Leavenworth St) is in the morning because Lombard Street runs east-west and slopes eastward. The best time to see and photograph the view from the top (from Hyde St) is in the afternoon. At night there are great views of Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower. The wild parrots of Telegraph Hill frequently fly over head in the morning.</see>

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* <see name="Lombard Street" alt="" address="between Hyde and Leavenworth" directions="" phone="" url="" hours="" price="" lat="" long="" email="" fax="">Do see the "crookedest street in the world", a one-block portion of Lombard Street that contains eight hairpin turns, created to reduce the hill's natural steep slope. The best time to see and photograph the winding street from the bottom (from Leavenworth St) is in the morning because Lombard Street runs east-west and slopes eastward. The best time to see and photograph the view from the top (from Hyde St) is in the afternoon. At night there are great views of Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower. The wild parrots of Telegraph Hill frequently fly over head in the morning.</see>

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* <see name="Famous hotels" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">Pretend you are a guest, and not just a visitor and have a look around the lobbies of some swanky San Francisco hotels. The Fairmont and Mark Hopkins have impressive lobbies that will leave you counting your pennies to see if you can afford a room. See below under Sleep section for further info.</see>

+

* <see name="Famous hotels" alt="" address="" directions="" phone="" email="" fax="" url="" hours="" price="">Pretend you are a guest and not just a visitor, and have a look around the lobbies of some swanky San Francisco hotels. The Fairmont and Mark Hopkins have impressive lobbies that will leave you counting your pennies to see if you can afford a room. See below under the Sleep section for further info.</see>

* <see name="Filbert Street" alt="" address="" directions="between Hyde and Leavenworth" phone="" url="" hours="" price="Free" lat="" long="" email="" fax="">At a 31.5% grade, this is one of the very steepest streets in the entire Western Hemisphere. Like many of the steeper streets in the city, it has steps along the sidewalk and its own special set of parking rules, so that people and cars don't all come tumbling down! </see>

* <see name="Filbert Street" alt="" address="" directions="between Hyde and Leavenworth" phone="" url="" hours="" price="Free" lat="" long="" email="" fax="">At a 31.5% grade, this is one of the very steepest streets in the entire Western Hemisphere. Like many of the steeper streets in the city, it has steps along the sidewalk and its own special set of parking rules, so that people and cars don't all come tumbling down! </see>

Line 39:

Line 43:

*<see name="Francisco Street" alt="" address="Between Hyde and Leavenworth" directions="" phone="" url="" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">This block contains twelve spectacular mansions in a variety of styles. It is very close to the crooked section of Lombard Street and is worth the minor detour on the way.</see>

*<see name="Francisco Street" alt="" address="Between Hyde and Leavenworth" directions="" phone="" url="" hours="" price="" lat="" long="">This block contains twelve spectacular mansions in a variety of styles. It is very close to the crooked section of Lombard Street and is worth the minor detour on the way.</see>

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* <see name="Grace Cathedral" alt="" address="1100 California Street" directions="between Taylor and Jones" phone="+1 415 749-6300" email="" fax="" url="http://www.gracecathedral.org" hours="M-F 7AM-6PM, Sa 8AM-6PM, Su 7AM-7PM, cathedral holidays 8AM-4PM" price="">The main Episcopalian church of the city, based on Notre Dame cathedral in [[Paris]]. (They request a donation and the tour is an hour long. You learn a lot but at times it is way too detailed)</see>

* <see name="Grace Cathedral" alt="" address="1100 California Street" directions="between Taylor and Jones" phone="+1 415 749-6300" email="" fax="" url="http://www.gracecathedral.org" hours="M-F 7AM-6PM, Sa 8AM-6PM, Su 7AM-7PM, cathedral holidays 8AM-4PM" price="">The main Episcopalian church of the city, based on the Notre Dame Cathedral in [[Paris]]. They request a donation and the tour is an hour long. You learn a lot but at times it is way too detailed.</see>

* <sleep name="Fairmont Hotel" alt="" address="950 Mason Street" directions="at California" phone="+1 415 772-5000" email="[email protected]" fax="+1 415 772-5013" url="http://www.fairmont.com/sanfrancisco" checkin="" checkout="" price="The grandest suite costs $10,000 a night, but you can get a nice room for $300-400">One of the most famous hotels in the city, having been gutted in the 1906 earthquake and fire, and rebuilt. The lobby is fantastic, and many rooms have fantastic views.</sleep>

* <sleep name="Fairmont Hotel" alt="" address="950 Mason Street" directions="at California" phone="+1 415 772-5000" email="[email protected]" fax="+1 415 772-5013" url="http://www.fairmont.com/sanfrancisco" checkin="" checkout="" price="The grandest suite costs $10,000 a night, but you can get a nice room for $300-400">One of the most famous hotels in the city, having been gutted in the 1906 earthquake and fire, and rebuilt. The lobby is fantastic, and many rooms have fantastic views.</sleep>

Revision as of 08:18, 3 January 2013

Cable cars and views; looking down Powell Street

Nob Hill-Russian Hill is an area in the northeastern part of San Francisco, made up of the two adjoining neighborhoods. Nob Hill is an affluent neighborhood dating back to the gold rush, today renowned for its lavish hotels, charming shops and restaurants, views of the city, and the cable car lines which pass through the neighborhood. Just to the north is Russian Hill, a quieter residential area most well known for its pleasant walks and the crooked section of Lombard Street. The district is bounded roughly by Van Ness Avenue to the west, Bay Street to the north, Sutter Street to the south, and Powell Street and Columbus Avenue to the east.

Contents

Understand

Nob Hill

Nob Hill is one of the city's most affluent neighborhoods. The advent of the Cable Car made this hilltop accessible, and the city's early railroad and Gold Rush millionaires rushed to settle here, far away from the unruliness of the Waterfront and Barbary Coast. In fact the hill derived its name from a slang term used to describe men of wealth and prominence -'Nabobs'. Today, it is most renowned for its famous hotels and for city landmarks such as the impressive Grace Cathedral. At its peak is Huntington Park, with the Roman "Fountain of Tortoises" located at its center. The area was almost completely destroyed in the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, but ensuring its survival were a host of luxury hotels that were built over their charred ruins. Given its lofty elevation, the hill has great select views over the city and bay.

Russian Hill

Nob Hill-Russian Hill map

Russian Hill is a hilly residential neighborhood located west of North Beach (and Telegraph Hill) and north of Nob Hill. These three hills have largely given San Francisco its "hilly" charm. The boundaries of Russian Hill are generally considered to be Van Ness Avenue on the west, Pacific Avenue on the south, Columbus Avenue on the east (northeast), and Bay Street on the north. In spite of the hilly terrain, the streets of Russian Hill are laid out mainly in a grid pattern, resulting in some of the steepest grades in the city, e.g., Filbert between Jones and Leavenworth. Because of the steepness of the hill, several streets, e.g., portions of Vallejo, Green, Greenwich and Larkin are blocked to motor vehicles and replaced by staircases. There are also beautifully landscaped pedestrian-only lanes such as Macondray Lane and Fallon Place. The most touristy block in Russian Hill is the winding Lombard Street, between Hyde and Leavenworth, with eight switchbacks, beautiful landscaping, and an arresting view of Telegraph Hill, Alcatraz Island and the East Bay. The hill's name goes back to the Gold Rush-era when settlers discovered a small cemetery at the top of the hill which contained Russian colonists who had created a settlement here during the 18th century. The cemetery was removed, but the hill's name remains to this day. There is no significant Russian presence here as the city's Russian community is located primarily in the Richmond District.

Get in

By car

Driving into this district is not recommended due to the steep hills, narrow and dead-end streets, lack of parking, and sometimes confusing traffic diversions. Avoid any street that is also a cable car line (Hyde between Washington and Fisherman's Wharf, Mason between Columbus and Washington, and Jackson/Washington between Powell and Hyde), as the cable cars stop at every intersection, and they usually stop in the intersection.

If you must drive in, the best streets to take are Van Ness Avenue (running north-south along the western edge of the district), Columbus Avenue (running northwest-southeast through the northeastern corner of the area) and the east-west Broadway Street, which becomes a tunnel between Powell and Larkin Streets. When parking in this hilly district, remember to always apply that parking brake and turn your wheels so that the tires are against the curb.

By cable car

The power house for the cable cars; Cable Car Museum

All three Cable Car lines cross at Powell and California. The Powell-Hyde and Powell-Mason cable car lines run between Union Square and Fisherman's Wharf. The Powell-Hyde line runs on Powell Street, Jackson/Washington Streets, and Hyde Street, running up and down Nob and Russian Hills and stopping at the top of the crooked section of Lombard Street. The Powell-Mason line runs on Powell and Mason Streets on the east edge of the district. The California cable car line runs east-west on California Street between Market Street in the Financial District and Van Ness Avenue.

By bus

MUNI[40] bus routes #1-California, #10-Townsend, #12-Folsom/Pacific, #19-Polk, #27-Bryant, #30-Stockton, #45-Union/Stockton, #47-Van Ness and #49-Van Ness/Mission pass through the district. The #1, #10, #12 and #45 run east-west through the district, the #19, #47 and #49 runs along the western edge of the district, the #30 runs on Columbus through the northeastern corner of the district, while #27 crosses across the southwestern part of the district.

Get around

This district is small enough for walking, but being very hilly, it can be somewhat strenuous.

See

Looking down winding Lombard Street

Cable Car Museum, 1201 Mason Street (at Washington), ☎+1 415 474-1887, [1]. Daily April-September: 10AM-6PM. Daily October-March: 10AM-5PM. Here you can see the mechanisms that drive San Francisco's famed cable cars, as well as plenty of cable car memorabilia and information on the history of the cable cars. Admission is free.

Lombard Street, between Hyde and Leavenworth. Do see the "crookedest street in the world", a one-block portion of Lombard Street that contains eight hairpin turns, created to reduce the hill's natural steep slope. The best time to see and photograph the winding street from the bottom (from Leavenworth St) is in the morning because Lombard Street runs east-west and slopes eastward. The best time to see and photograph the view from the top (from Hyde St) is in the afternoon. At night there are great views of Telegraph Hill and Coit Tower. The wild parrots of Telegraph Hill frequently fly over head in the morning.

Famous hotels. Pretend you are a guest and not just a visitor, and have a look around the lobbies of some swanky San Francisco hotels. The Fairmont and Mark Hopkins have impressive lobbies that will leave you counting your pennies to see if you can afford a room. See below under the Sleep section for further info.

Filbert Street, (between Hyde and Leavenworth). At a 31.5% grade, this is one of the very steepest streets in the entire Western Hemisphere. Like many of the steeper streets in the city, it has steps along the sidewalk and its own special set of parking rules, so that people and cars don't all come tumbling down! Free.

Francisco Street, Between Hyde and Leavenworth. This block contains twelve spectacular mansions in a variety of styles. It is very close to the crooked section of Lombard Street and is worth the minor detour on the way.

Grace Cathedral

Grace Cathedral, 1100 California Street (between Taylor and Jones), ☎+1 415 749-6300, [2]. M-F 7AM-6PM, Sa 8AM-6PM, Su 7AM-7PM, cathedral holidays 8AM-4PM. The main Episcopalian church of the city, based on the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. They request a donation and the tour is an hour long. You learn a lot but at times it is way too detailed.

Grand Lodge F&AM of California, 1111 California Street (between Taylor and Jones), ☎+1 415 776-7000, [3]. In addition to the lodge room and corporate offices, this place also has a museum of Freemasonry.

Polk Street, between Broadway and Union. These five blocks form the heart of the Russian Hill neighborhood district. There are over 20 restaurants, 10 bars and cafes, and 20 shops. Dinner at many of the restaurants typically require reservations.

Shakris Fine Asian Works of Art, 954 Bush Street (between Taylor and Jones), ☎+1 415 929-0280 ([email protected], fax: +1 415 922-3838), [4]. This galley houses a broad collection of Asian antiques that span thousands of years of history. It has arts from China, Japan, India, Indonesia and Thailand among other countries. Popular categories include ceramics, paintings, metalwork, erotic art, carvings, and jade sculpture.

Do

The Old First Church, 1751 Sacramento Street (at Van Ness), [5]. The Old First Church has concerts F 8PM & Su 4PM, and some other evenings, throughout the year. Ticket prices are typically $10-$15.

Buy

Argonaut Book Shop, 786 Sutter Street (at Jones), ☎+1 415 474-9067 (fax: +1 415 474-2537), [8]. M-F 9AM-5PM, Sa 10AM-4PM. The bookshelves here are any war buff's haven, with a treasure trove of books on the history of California and the American West. It also has good collections on the American Civil War, American railroads, regional Americana, antiques and maritime books.

Velvet da Vinci, 2015 Polk Street (between Broadway and Pacific), ☎+1 415 441-0109, [11]. Tu-Sa 12-6PM, Su 12-4PM. Established in 1991, the gallery shows contemporary jewelry by international artists and craft-based sculpture. Housed in an old furniture factory the gallery has 10 exhibitions a year and is a must see for fans of cutting-edge jewelry.

Drink

Bacchus Wine Bar, 1954 Hyde Street (between Union St & Warner Pl.), ☎+1 415 928-2633. Nightly 5:30PM-2AM. Small intimate twenty-seat bar that is a good place to go to get a nice glass of wine or a sake cocktail.

Hi-Lo Club, 1423 Polk Street (between Pine and California), [22]. Mon-Sat 4PM-2AM. A new venture by veterans of the Tenderloin bar scene. Nice, craft cocktails and an impressive beer menu are set in a swanky new/old interior that intentionally has no TV.

Splurge

Fancy hotels abound in Nob Hill

Fairmont Hotel, 950 Mason Street (at California), ☎+1 415 772-5000 ([email protected], fax: +1 415 772-5013), [32]. One of the most famous hotels in the city, having been gutted in the 1906 earthquake and fire, and rebuilt. The lobby is fantastic, and many rooms have fantastic views.The grandest suite costs $10,000 a night, but you can get a nice room for $300-400.

Hotel Vertigo, 940 Sutter Street (on the corner between Hyde and Leavenworth), ☎+1 415 885-6800 ([email protected]), [38]. A hotel with lots of bright colors and relatively few amenities compared to other splurge hotels in the area, but with nice rooms and a friendly staff.

Cup-A-Joe, 896 Sutter St (at Leavenworth Street), ☎+1 415 563-7745. M-F 6AM-9PM, Sa-Su 7AM-8PM. A basic, local coffee shop with a decent tea selection with a good amount of street seating for when the weather is nice. Free wireless plus a few machines to work on.

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